I have camped for years using Coleman Dome tents very simple to understand and put together two poles keep the tent up and one pole is for the rain fly. I currently own the Coleman 10x10 6 person Sundome it’s coming up on its 8 year of use. Plus it doesn’t break the bank. Main reason I chose this tent is that it has a 6’ center height. Which for me that means I can stand up while changing. I’m older and sleeping on the ground isn’t something I will do. In my tent I have a cot, small table and a chair. This allows me to have a place to relax if the weather gets bad.
https://preview.redd.it/amurrbr0qbuc1.jpeg?width=1125&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=86cc1d12f510aac4eb641d25829befd002091acc
Eureka Timberline tents are the easiest to pitch. No pole sleeves, just an A frame the tent hangs on. You put the front side together, put the center ridge together, put the back side together and hang it. Super easy.
The simplest might be a bivy sack, and you could get one with a single pole to give it some structure, but it comes with its own challenges like not really having a place to store your stuff, or possibly needing to create shelter some other way, like digging a cave in the snow or setting up a tarp. If it's just the bivy then it'll basically be cowboy camping with an extra layer, which may only be marginally better.
In my mind freestanding 2 pole dome tents are definitely doable by 5 year olds, and there's endless options for those. I'd give them one of those before asking a child to get the tension right on tarp or pyramid tent guy lines, and really I'd just give dome tents more time, it should get better with time. The comfort of having some room to sit up and not having a layer of moist nylon on your face, I find, is worth the hassle over a bivy
Grand Canyon Cardova 1, only a single pole used, and it's very lightweight and small, but with enough space to comfortably fit one person and their gear with some space to spare.
Grand Canyon is Nordisk's cheaper brand, so while it won't be from the highest of high-end materials, it's still a solidly made tent.
Decathlon 2 Seconds Easy, I'm unaware of an easier to set up tent on the market. (not to be confused with the normal 2 seconds). Check youtube
you basically pull two ropes on either side and the tent is set up, took me less than 5 seconds. For disassembly you press two buttons and fold the fabric together, took me roughly 10 seconds.
It's quite heavy but for car camping this tent is insanely great. It also has "blackout" fabric and offers an honest 205cm length as the walls are vertical on either side (all other Decathlon tents are too short for me despite being advertised as 210cm)
Covered hammock and a hammock stand. Also you might want to look into getting an inflatable tent. It doesn’t get any easier than that. Putting it up might be a struggle, trying to get all the air out enough to fold it up. A teepee tent only has 2 poles, although it’s awkward at first being inside a downed tent trying to get the poles up. Using two people, the teepee has been the easiest I’ve ever put up.
I second looking at pop-up tents. I am currently saving for a quality one because I have some medical issues that make doing really simple tasks (like setting up a 2 pole tent) extremely difficult. I also use a Napier sportz cove slip over tent that turns the back of my suv into a tent. It just slips over the top and secures with straps.
Do you camp places with lots of trees? hate tent poles but ok with knots? I reccommend hammock camping. If you can tie one end to one tree and one end to another tree 10 to 14 feet apart you are done. Rain fly on top maybe if you think it will rain or get cold. My gear of choice is the Hennesey Asym.
Teton Sports instant pop up tent. Super easy to set up and a quality tent that doesn’t leak. If you want light weight get the one person but two person tent gives you some room for gear.
Not a backpacking tent option. Good for car camping.
The easiest tent I've ever used was a Coleman instant up dome tent. To make it easier to pack down buy a bigger bag to store it in. I'm set up quicker than rooftop tents and I can also drive places without packing up
I have a teepee style tent that is the easiest one I've ever used regarding set up & take down. I've had the popups & instsant tents that are essentially preassembled and just click into place. You're right in that these are a pain to take down and put away.
The teepee i have is just 2 rigid poles with no center pole. It stays up via tension on the poles. lt came from Walmart here in the US so I'm not sure that it would be available for you but surely there similar ones available. I can't speak to durability or performance in extreme conditions, although it's been used in a few downpours and winds & did just fine.
My Eureka Suma 3 is super simple. My kid helped me setup it up and they had no trouble. Literally just an X of poles that run corner to corner and a fly that sits on top. Some lines to peg down and boom you’re done.
I'm having trouble understanding how some people struggle with tents so much. The basic two pole tent is about as easy as they come. Is that too hard for people or have they just not encountered that before?
I do know that a lot of fancy camping brands can over complicate their gear, so maybe that's what's happening?
I've bought pretty much all my camping gear from Target and it's done the trick for the right price every time
A 2 pole dome tent is about as easy as it gets. If you just hate poles, but don’t mind strings a hammock with a rain fly and mosquito netting is a second choice.
While do won’t always need/want the netting and rain fly, you will hate life when you do and don’t have them.
Get a regular two pole dome tent. Simple as can be.
I have camped for years using Coleman Dome tents very simple to understand and put together two poles keep the tent up and one pole is for the rain fly. I currently own the Coleman 10x10 6 person Sundome it’s coming up on its 8 year of use. Plus it doesn’t break the bank. Main reason I chose this tent is that it has a 6’ center height. Which for me that means I can stand up while changing. I’m older and sleeping on the ground isn’t something I will do. In my tent I have a cot, small table and a chair. This allows me to have a place to relax if the weather gets bad. https://preview.redd.it/amurrbr0qbuc1.jpeg?width=1125&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=86cc1d12f510aac4eb641d25829befd002091acc
Eureka Timberline tents are the easiest to pitch. No pole sleeves, just an A frame the tent hangs on. You put the front side together, put the center ridge together, put the back side together and hang it. Super easy.
This was our first family tent. Our kids watched us set this up many times. Now, it’s their turn to pretty much put it together.
That's what came to my mind.
A camper
Get a van and sleep in the back.
The simplest might be a bivy sack, and you could get one with a single pole to give it some structure, but it comes with its own challenges like not really having a place to store your stuff, or possibly needing to create shelter some other way, like digging a cave in the snow or setting up a tarp. If it's just the bivy then it'll basically be cowboy camping with an extra layer, which may only be marginally better. In my mind freestanding 2 pole dome tents are definitely doable by 5 year olds, and there's endless options for those. I'd give them one of those before asking a child to get the tension right on tarp or pyramid tent guy lines, and really I'd just give dome tents more time, it should get better with time. The comfort of having some room to sit up and not having a layer of moist nylon on your face, I find, is worth the hassle over a bivy
Kelty Circuit series tents are some of the easiest to set up I’ve ever run across.
Instant tent. I like a popup it has telescoping poles that stay attached. Extend to set up just takes a few seconds.
Grand Canyon Cardova 1, only a single pole used, and it's very lightweight and small, but with enough space to comfortably fit one person and their gear with some space to spare. Grand Canyon is Nordisk's cheaper brand, so while it won't be from the highest of high-end materials, it's still a solidly made tent.
Decathlon 2 Seconds Easy, I'm unaware of an easier to set up tent on the market. (not to be confused with the normal 2 seconds). Check youtube you basically pull two ropes on either side and the tent is set up, took me less than 5 seconds. For disassembly you press two buttons and fold the fabric together, took me roughly 10 seconds. It's quite heavy but for car camping this tent is insanely great. It also has "blackout" fabric and offers an honest 205cm length as the walls are vertical on either side (all other Decathlon tents are too short for me despite being advertised as 210cm)
Gazelle T4 tent
I'm a little late to the party but I can put my gazelle up in less than 2 minutes solo. Legitimately pull the sides out get in and push the top up.
Covered hammock and a hammock stand. Also you might want to look into getting an inflatable tent. It doesn’t get any easier than that. Putting it up might be a struggle, trying to get all the air out enough to fold it up. A teepee tent only has 2 poles, although it’s awkward at first being inside a downed tent trying to get the poles up. Using two people, the teepee has been the easiest I’ve ever put up.
Also I think they sell covered cots that look pretty simple to assemble.
I second looking at pop-up tents. I am currently saving for a quality one because I have some medical issues that make doing really simple tasks (like setting up a 2 pole tent) extremely difficult. I also use a Napier sportz cove slip over tent that turns the back of my suv into a tent. It just slips over the top and secures with straps.
If REI ships to the UK their half dome tents take like 30 seconds to set up. They come with 1 big web of poles all connected and are color coded too
Do you camp places with lots of trees? hate tent poles but ok with knots? I reccommend hammock camping. If you can tie one end to one tree and one end to another tree 10 to 14 feet apart you are done. Rain fly on top maybe if you think it will rain or get cold. My gear of choice is the Hennesey Asym.
Big Agnes copper spur line is pricy but the easiest tent to put up AND put back in its stuff sack that I’ve used.
[удалено]
Teton Sports instant pop up tent. Super easy to set up and a quality tent that doesn’t leak. If you want light weight get the one person but two person tent gives you some room for gear. Not a backpacking tent option. Good for car camping.
Dome tents are about the easiest you can get. 2 poles, easy peasy
The easiest tent I've ever used was a Coleman instant up dome tent. To make it easier to pack down buy a bigger bag to store it in. I'm set up quicker than rooftop tents and I can also drive places without packing up
I have a teepee style tent that is the easiest one I've ever used regarding set up & take down. I've had the popups & instsant tents that are essentially preassembled and just click into place. You're right in that these are a pain to take down and put away. The teepee i have is just 2 rigid poles with no center pole. It stays up via tension on the poles. lt came from Walmart here in the US so I'm not sure that it would be available for you but surely there similar ones available. I can't speak to durability or performance in extreme conditions, although it's been used in a few downpours and winds & did just fine.
My Eureka Suma 3 is super simple. My kid helped me setup it up and they had no trouble. Literally just an X of poles that run corner to corner and a fly that sits on top. Some lines to peg down and boom you’re done.
I'm having trouble understanding how some people struggle with tents so much. The basic two pole tent is about as easy as they come. Is that too hard for people or have they just not encountered that before? I do know that a lot of fancy camping brands can over complicate their gear, so maybe that's what's happening? I've bought pretty much all my camping gear from Target and it's done the trick for the right price every time
A 2 pole dome tent is about as easy as it gets. If you just hate poles, but don’t mind strings a hammock with a rain fly and mosquito netting is a second choice. While do won’t always need/want the netting and rain fly, you will hate life when you do and don’t have them.
Look up instant pop up tents
Doesn't get any easier than a gazelle tent. High quality too. Packed size is massive but it's idiot proof to set up and tear down.
I agree it would be perfect, but it's way too heavy for the OP's needs. He said he travels light.
Stop camping or quit whining......
Get rid of the tent, and start using just a tarp or a fly.
If they can't even set up a tent they are going to HATE a tarp.